Chapter 1
This is obviously a introductory chapter and it introduces a scary and depressing world. The TV is super creepy and the Ministry of Truth seems robotic but with humans. Also whats with the weird names? "Ministry of Truth", "Thoughtcrime", "Ministry of Love" etc. They all seem good based on title and then he describes their function and it's like nope, just kidding, we all suck. I think I already see the plot developing in that my guess is that Winston revolts against this terrifying government but I may be wrong...
Chapter 2
This chapter was creepy, obviously, but the worst part was when Winston was interacting with the children. WHY DO THEY WANT TO SEE A HANGING?? LIKE WTF (pardon my abbreviated french). but seriously what? Like I played imaginary fighting as a kid but I was never happy or excited to see or hear that someone died! So they really creeped me out.
I have noticed that despite some of the descriptions being color, like the cabbage water from the neighbors, I am only imagining shades of grey (not the film/ movie). IDK if this is because of previous media or just a result of the descriptions and setting but I only see grey sky, building, people. I even imagine the TV and black and white. Weird right?
Chapter 3
I enjoyed chapter three because of the insight it provides regarding Winston's background. It delves into his family and a little bit of the evolution of Big Brother. The development of the fictional world really intrigues me as a reader, especially when it is done well and although this world is creepy I still find in cool.
I also liked this chapter because of how the story is narrated. It is set up to be a third person narration but a lot of the narration happens inside Winston's head which I find pretty cool, and honestly relatable. A lot more happens in a person's head then we realize and I think Orwell is doing a pretty good conveying that complexity.
Chapter 4
Seeing Winston working was both interesting and terrifying at the same time. I found it interesting because it developed the work further but it was terrifying because it shows the amount of control the government has. It's very strange that the government has to change past in order to maintain control in the present. Interesting concept and view but also horrifying. Winston's coworker neighbor is suspicious and I suspect we have yet to see the end of him.
I think it's weird that the government uses normal people like Winston to change the papers and what naught. Aren't they worried he'll catch on and say something?
Chapter 5
This chapter was completely in the cafeteria and it was interesting to read the roller coaster inside Winston's head. At first he seemed unamused or uninterested in what Syme had to say. Then he seemed very interested in what everyone around him was saying. And then when Parsons should up he seemed disturbed by Parson's kids, who are in fact disturbing. But the end of the chapter was the most interesting part. When Winston sees the pretty girl starring at him. Right now Winston thinks she is a spy and out to get him but I think she is part of the revolution that I see happening. Her and Winston's coworker from across the hall, I believe are going to be big players in this plot.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Sunday, January 8, 2017
A note to Mrs. PD
This past week I had been "saving" my posts instead of "publishing" them. This was my mistake but I just caught it so I just dumped the last like 15 chapters onto you at once. I am so sorry about this!
Chapters 38- End Thoughts and Reaction
Chapter 38
This chapter might have been the most frustrating yet. They have a hole into Jim's cabin and us eit to get a grindstone into the cabin but Huck and Tom couldn't do it by themselves so they get Jim out and use his help to get the grind stone in and then they LEAVE JIM BACK IN THE CABIN. Tom is just absolutely insane. And then on top of this lunacy Tom wants to give Jim all the rodents and varmints to make the cabin more realistic. WHO CARES. God. I just wanted to reach into my book and grab Tom by his neck.
Chapter 39
The animal gift for Jim is ridiculous and the amount of time this scheme has taken is unreal. Jim is stuck in a 10 foot by 10 foot cabin and Tom wants to play pretend for multiple weeks. Even though I'm bashing on him I did think the anonymous letters was super cool and an interesting development to watch unfold.
Chapter 40
This was an exciting chapter to finally see Jim set free. The butter scene with Aunt Sally was hilarious but all the men with their guns was kind of creepy and scary. I thought when the dogs came it was game over but it makes sense that they wouldn't bark at Huck and Tom. Tom getting shot was unfortunate but honestly I was so frustrated with him by this point that I thought he deserved it. Too bad Huck had to go back to town though because Jim should really be getting a move on.
Chapter 41
Huck did a nice job getting the doctor but it was really unfortunate that he ran into Uncle Silas. He should have known people were going to be looking for him but I guess it's realistic to have a kid not think everything through. I did like seeing Aunt Sally caring so much because for much of the book she is yelling and comes across crazy but this chapter shows the softer more caring side of her and I liked that.
Chapter 42/ Chapter the Last
Tom being brought back was a dissappointing ending to the book because I wanted Jim and Huck to go back onto the river but I did like that he cared if Jim got away or not. I did like that Jim got to go free and that they didn't hang him, even though the logic behind not hanging him was disturbing. Explaining the whole jig to Aunt Sally was awkward and funny when it was explained to Uncle Silas. All in all I liked the book a lot until these past 10 chapters or so. I think this book is more about morality than it is about a plot or book.
Chapters 32- 37 Thoughts and Reaction
Chapter 32
This chapter was just flat out realistic. Jim happens to be sold to the relatives of Tom Sawyer and they happened to have been expecting Tom visiting them, AND they were NEVER told what he looked liked. And on top of all this, they were just going to roll with Tom leaving his bag back at the docks? Ugh! This is infuriating because it takes away from the realism of the book. When this book comes across realistic it's so much easier to connect with the characters and to be invested into the little plot that happens.
Chapter 33
Despite my frustration with this portion of the book, I did find the reunion between Huck and Tom very cute. When Tom thought Huck was a ghost coming back to haunt I laughed out loud. It was great to see them work together again like they were at the beginning of the book. I do hope Huck doesn't blow it and get caught up with Duke and King again because I am sick of those characters.
Chapter 34
This was an interesting chapter because of the scheming done by one Top Sawyer. Huck offered a standard plan that made logical sense and would work just fine. This plan however did not sit well with Tom because for some reason he thought he'd have some fun while handling a human beings future. This, I believe, speaks to the racist undertone that has been present throughout the book and is obviously a real thing during the time period. At the end of the chapter I was confused by the slave who claimed to see witches. I did not understand his purpose or why he was included in the chapter or book at all.
Chapter 35
This chapter is either confusing, frustrating or both. Tom is obsessed with making the rescue "real" and refuses to do anything logical. Saw off the foot of the bed? Dig a tunnel with spoons? What? I was yelling at my book because I just couldn't understand why he was so insistent. I was also a little upset with how condescending Tom was to Huck. Huck has been doing just fine without Tom and he comes in like the second coming of Jesus. What have you ever done Tom? Maybe if I read The adventures of Tom Sawyer I'd know but he is very annoying.
Chapter 36
So Tom apparently wants to make it a "realistic" escape as long as it isn't too much work because he finally gave into using the pick ax and shovel. But despite this he is still just flat out crazy. Why would they need a rope latter if they are digging a tunnel? Come on Tom, be reasonable. The crazy slave came back in this chapter and I still don't understand why he is in this book.
Chapter 37
This chapter was hilarious to read at the expense of Aunt Sally. Tom and Huck messing around with the sheets and spoons was just priceless. When they were miss counting the spoons and then adding or taking one away, I could barely read I was laughing so hard. I also appreciated the boys stopping up the rat wholes. This is yet another example of Huck's moral compass. He believes in fairness and helping those who help him. I really like that about Huck.
This chapter was just flat out realistic. Jim happens to be sold to the relatives of Tom Sawyer and they happened to have been expecting Tom visiting them, AND they were NEVER told what he looked liked. And on top of all this, they were just going to roll with Tom leaving his bag back at the docks? Ugh! This is infuriating because it takes away from the realism of the book. When this book comes across realistic it's so much easier to connect with the characters and to be invested into the little plot that happens.
Chapter 33
Despite my frustration with this portion of the book, I did find the reunion between Huck and Tom very cute. When Tom thought Huck was a ghost coming back to haunt I laughed out loud. It was great to see them work together again like they were at the beginning of the book. I do hope Huck doesn't blow it and get caught up with Duke and King again because I am sick of those characters.
Chapter 34
This was an interesting chapter because of the scheming done by one Top Sawyer. Huck offered a standard plan that made logical sense and would work just fine. This plan however did not sit well with Tom because for some reason he thought he'd have some fun while handling a human beings future. This, I believe, speaks to the racist undertone that has been present throughout the book and is obviously a real thing during the time period. At the end of the chapter I was confused by the slave who claimed to see witches. I did not understand his purpose or why he was included in the chapter or book at all.
Chapter 35
This chapter is either confusing, frustrating or both. Tom is obsessed with making the rescue "real" and refuses to do anything logical. Saw off the foot of the bed? Dig a tunnel with spoons? What? I was yelling at my book because I just couldn't understand why he was so insistent. I was also a little upset with how condescending Tom was to Huck. Huck has been doing just fine without Tom and he comes in like the second coming of Jesus. What have you ever done Tom? Maybe if I read The adventures of Tom Sawyer I'd know but he is very annoying.
Chapter 36
So Tom apparently wants to make it a "realistic" escape as long as it isn't too much work because he finally gave into using the pick ax and shovel. But despite this he is still just flat out crazy. Why would they need a rope latter if they are digging a tunnel? Come on Tom, be reasonable. The crazy slave came back in this chapter and I still don't understand why he is in this book.
Chapter 37
This chapter was hilarious to read at the expense of Aunt Sally. Tom and Huck messing around with the sheets and spoons was just priceless. When they were miss counting the spoons and then adding or taking one away, I could barely read I was laughing so hard. I also appreciated the boys stopping up the rat wholes. This is yet another example of Huck's moral compass. He believes in fairness and helping those who help him. I really like that about Huck.
Chapters 27-31 Thoughts and Response
Chapter 27
This chapter reveals the first real action from Huck since running away from his father. He stole the money, hid it inside the coffin and proceeded to successfully lie to King and Duke about everything he did and saw. From this action we see a more defiant moral compass for Huck. He has never been comfortable with King and Duke's games but he has also never tried to interfere with the process. In this chapter he utterly destroys the con because he likes and feels bad for the daughters of the decease. This is also supported by his emotional response to Mary Jane's tears over her father's coffin. throughout the book thus far we've seen Huck struggle with his morality and conformity but now we are hopefully seeing Huck give into his moral side and leave conformity it the dust.
Chapter 28
In this chapter we see Huck's emotional connection with Mary Jane come to fruition as he informs her of the con and requests her assistance in putting a stop to it. We also see, however, the old Huck alive and well as he still created multiple back up plans to save himself should something go awry. We also see Huck return to his old self in the sense that he fails to create a believeable lie to tell the others where Mary Jane has gone. Huck managed to completely throw the slaves under the bus about the money but fails to lie about the simple stuff. This is an interesting contradiction or plot hole to keep an eye on.
Chapter 29
This was a tense chapter to say the least. With the real uncles arriving and Huck caught up in the middle of it all I was very concerned how they were going to get out of it. The writing test was a interesting read but I found it very convenient that there was no way to prove that the real Uncles were real. I was also frustrated with the escape of both Huck and Duke and King. Why would everyone want to get the gold? It's not theirs! I did not understand why they would let go of the people they were set on killing not two pages ago! Twain really was not making me happy with the ending of this chapter.
Chapter 30
This was a quick read and a fairly uneventful chapter. King has got some anger management problems but Huck is very lucky Duke is still around because Duke is always saving his butt. I was surprised they never thought Huck hid the gold when they were talking about how it got in the coffin. This result of the con seems like a lesson in karma, because they had a lot of cash coming there way and instead are back on the river dead broke.
Chapter 31
This was a disappointing chapter but inevitable. I was really excited for Huck to ditch Duke and King but when Jim was taken away I felt bad for both of them. I was annoyed that Huck ran into Duke in the neighboring town. Won't these two just go away! I was getting nervous at the end of the chapter with Huck walking into the country side and Duke lying about who Jim was sold to. I do hope Jim and Huck can get back together and Jim can live free in the North.
This chapter reveals the first real action from Huck since running away from his father. He stole the money, hid it inside the coffin and proceeded to successfully lie to King and Duke about everything he did and saw. From this action we see a more defiant moral compass for Huck. He has never been comfortable with King and Duke's games but he has also never tried to interfere with the process. In this chapter he utterly destroys the con because he likes and feels bad for the daughters of the decease. This is also supported by his emotional response to Mary Jane's tears over her father's coffin. throughout the book thus far we've seen Huck struggle with his morality and conformity but now we are hopefully seeing Huck give into his moral side and leave conformity it the dust.
Chapter 28
In this chapter we see Huck's emotional connection with Mary Jane come to fruition as he informs her of the con and requests her assistance in putting a stop to it. We also see, however, the old Huck alive and well as he still created multiple back up plans to save himself should something go awry. We also see Huck return to his old self in the sense that he fails to create a believeable lie to tell the others where Mary Jane has gone. Huck managed to completely throw the slaves under the bus about the money but fails to lie about the simple stuff. This is an interesting contradiction or plot hole to keep an eye on.
Chapter 29
This was a tense chapter to say the least. With the real uncles arriving and Huck caught up in the middle of it all I was very concerned how they were going to get out of it. The writing test was a interesting read but I found it very convenient that there was no way to prove that the real Uncles were real. I was also frustrated with the escape of both Huck and Duke and King. Why would everyone want to get the gold? It's not theirs! I did not understand why they would let go of the people they were set on killing not two pages ago! Twain really was not making me happy with the ending of this chapter.
Chapter 30
This was a quick read and a fairly uneventful chapter. King has got some anger management problems but Huck is very lucky Duke is still around because Duke is always saving his butt. I was surprised they never thought Huck hid the gold when they were talking about how it got in the coffin. This result of the con seems like a lesson in karma, because they had a lot of cash coming there way and instead are back on the river dead broke.
Chapter 31
This was a disappointing chapter but inevitable. I was really excited for Huck to ditch Duke and King but when Jim was taken away I felt bad for both of them. I was annoyed that Huck ran into Duke in the neighboring town. Won't these two just go away! I was getting nervous at the end of the chapter with Huck walking into the country side and Duke lying about who Jim was sold to. I do hope Jim and Huck can get back together and Jim can live free in the North.
Monday, January 2, 2017
Chapters 22- 26 Thoughts and Reaction
One general thought I have is that the title of the book is "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" but what I've noticed is that a lot of the story is Huck watching a scene play and not really having much effect on it. I find it to be very similar to The Great Gatsby and Nick, in which Nick see's everything play out but doesn't do much about it.
Chapter 22
The opening scene on Sherburn's yard was very intense. I found his speech powerful and frightening and I certainly understand the crowd dispersing. The second half of the chapter with the disastrous performance was much lighter and more of what most of the book has been like. Everyone once in a while there's these intense scenes that the lynch mob, but most of this book has been pretty light hearted fun adventuring.
Chapter 23
The new performance I found hilarious to read! I thought everything about this chapter was funny, from the performance to the stupid spectators I thought this was a very funny chapter. I loved that the towns people got fooled twice on the same gag. I don't know why but I seem to always root for the expert conmen even though I know I would pissed if I ever were to get conned.
Chapter 24
This was a super cool chapter because it shows us how the next big con is pulled off. The chapter itself was kind of boring, aside from the SICK ARAD sign, but paired with the next few chapters I really glad it's in the book. Being in on the con and understanding how it works is really cool and makes for an interesting read.
Chapter 25
This chapter was so nerve racking when the doctor guy showed up and tried to ruin all the fun but the towns people/ daughters of the deceased are about as smart as a brick so no problem. I wonder/ think the doc will be back but for now it's just funny to see Duke and King run circles around these fools.
Chapter 26
This chapter contradicts my initial statement on this blog post because Huck starts to actually get into the action. I find it interesting to watch how much Huck's moral compass and emotional connections effect his decision making. Because the towns people in the last con were threatening he had no problem taking off, but because the women are so clueless and upset about their father he feels terrible and is trying to stop the con. I also find it interesting to see how careful Huck is to protect himself. He always thinks through his plans to make sure he is not caught in the middle of it all. I think this forward thinking is a result of his father and how terrible that experience was. Huck knows how bad it can get so he is now super careful to avoid any risk of personal danger.
Chapter 22
The opening scene on Sherburn's yard was very intense. I found his speech powerful and frightening and I certainly understand the crowd dispersing. The second half of the chapter with the disastrous performance was much lighter and more of what most of the book has been like. Everyone once in a while there's these intense scenes that the lynch mob, but most of this book has been pretty light hearted fun adventuring.
Chapter 23
The new performance I found hilarious to read! I thought everything about this chapter was funny, from the performance to the stupid spectators I thought this was a very funny chapter. I loved that the towns people got fooled twice on the same gag. I don't know why but I seem to always root for the expert conmen even though I know I would pissed if I ever were to get conned.
Chapter 24
This was a super cool chapter because it shows us how the next big con is pulled off. The chapter itself was kind of boring, aside from the SICK ARAD sign, but paired with the next few chapters I really glad it's in the book. Being in on the con and understanding how it works is really cool and makes for an interesting read.
Chapter 25
This chapter was so nerve racking when the doctor guy showed up and tried to ruin all the fun but the towns people/ daughters of the deceased are about as smart as a brick so no problem. I wonder/ think the doc will be back but for now it's just funny to see Duke and King run circles around these fools.
Chapter 26
This chapter contradicts my initial statement on this blog post because Huck starts to actually get into the action. I find it interesting to watch how much Huck's moral compass and emotional connections effect his decision making. Because the towns people in the last con were threatening he had no problem taking off, but because the women are so clueless and upset about their father he feels terrible and is trying to stop the con. I also find it interesting to see how careful Huck is to protect himself. He always thinks through his plans to make sure he is not caught in the middle of it all. I think this forward thinking is a result of his father and how terrible that experience was. Huck knows how bad it can get so he is now super careful to avoid any risk of personal danger.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Chapters 17-21 Reactions and Thoughts
As a whole I found these to be very weird chapters with a lot characters and descriptions that don't seem very relevant. I also found that strangers in this book are friendly to the point that it's kind of creepy.
Chapter 17
In this chapter Huck is taken in by the Grangerford Family and gives an overwhelming amount of details about the house and family. I found this odd because within a few chapters he runs away from the family and feud so it seemed unnecessary to build such a vivid scene. I also found it odd that thus family just took in a strange boy and should no sign of trying to return him to his family. I understand that they were trying to be kind but it was a little over the top.
Chapter 18
This feud is extremely similar to the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Both these families are crazy and have hold onto grudges for way too long. It;s crazy to think that feuds like this really excited in what we think is such a civilized society. I don'd know if this was the book or just me but I also found this chapter particularly difficult to understand with the accents and broken english.*
Chapter 19
Getting back with Jim and getting back onto the raft felt like retuning to the old routine until they ran into "Duke" and "King". I am still unclear whether they were just playing with the boys when they said they were royalty or if they actually introduce themselves like that. Either way I also found it creepy how friendly these grown men were to these kids alone on the river at all hours. Maybe I've been watching too much news but a lot of red flags went up for me during this situation.
Chapter 20
Duke and King showed their true colors in this chapter. Both are clearly con artists and thieves which explains why they ask so few questions of Huck and Jim. Although I found them clever and likable (which is all part of the con) I am still a little lost on their backgrounds. They explained why they were on the run briefly but not enough for me to get the whole picture. I wonder if that will come out in the future chapters?
Chapter 21
I found this chapter to be very cute to see how excited Duke and King were about the performance. I understand that it's another con to make money but it's still entertaining to picture the sword fighting on the raft. It was also hilarious to red his rendition of Hamlet's Soliloquy which, everyone in Pre-Lit knows, wasn't even close. This was a highly entertaining chapter but I still wonder if Twain is going anywhere with these characters or if they are simply filling to Huck's story.
*I also find it interesting that even when the characters pronunciate a word correctly Twain will still misspell the word. For instance he spelled "Arkansas", "Arkansaw" which is would be read the same so I wonder why he bothered to make that distinction.
Chapter 17
In this chapter Huck is taken in by the Grangerford Family and gives an overwhelming amount of details about the house and family. I found this odd because within a few chapters he runs away from the family and feud so it seemed unnecessary to build such a vivid scene. I also found it odd that thus family just took in a strange boy and should no sign of trying to return him to his family. I understand that they were trying to be kind but it was a little over the top.
Chapter 18
This feud is extremely similar to the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Both these families are crazy and have hold onto grudges for way too long. It;s crazy to think that feuds like this really excited in what we think is such a civilized society. I don'd know if this was the book or just me but I also found this chapter particularly difficult to understand with the accents and broken english.*
Chapter 19
Getting back with Jim and getting back onto the raft felt like retuning to the old routine until they ran into "Duke" and "King". I am still unclear whether they were just playing with the boys when they said they were royalty or if they actually introduce themselves like that. Either way I also found it creepy how friendly these grown men were to these kids alone on the river at all hours. Maybe I've been watching too much news but a lot of red flags went up for me during this situation.
Chapter 20
Duke and King showed their true colors in this chapter. Both are clearly con artists and thieves which explains why they ask so few questions of Huck and Jim. Although I found them clever and likable (which is all part of the con) I am still a little lost on their backgrounds. They explained why they were on the run briefly but not enough for me to get the whole picture. I wonder if that will come out in the future chapters?
Chapter 21
I found this chapter to be very cute to see how excited Duke and King were about the performance. I understand that it's another con to make money but it's still entertaining to picture the sword fighting on the raft. It was also hilarious to red his rendition of Hamlet's Soliloquy which, everyone in Pre-Lit knows, wasn't even close. This was a highly entertaining chapter but I still wonder if Twain is going anywhere with these characters or if they are simply filling to Huck's story.
*I also find it interesting that even when the characters pronunciate a word correctly Twain will still misspell the word. For instance he spelled "Arkansas", "Arkansaw" which is would be read the same so I wonder why he bothered to make that distinction.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)